The crisis has affected Europe and the world but not everyone in our societies has born the brunt of it uniformly. COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath affect women and men differently ( as detailed in our WISE4All Strategic Agenda 2021-2027 EN – FR– IT) owing to underlying existing social inequities, therefore, a gender-sensitive response is required. (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2020-0229_EN.html#title1).
To help repair the economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission, the European Parliament and EU leaders have agreed on a recovery plan that will lead the way out of the crisis and lay the foundations for a modern and more sustainable Europe.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (NextGenerationEU) with €672.5 billion in loans and grants available to support reforms and investments undertaken by EU countries. Member States are working on their recovery and resilience plans to access the funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
NextGenerationEU also includes €47.5 billion for REACT-EU. This is a new initiative that continues and extends the crisis response and crisis repair measures delivered through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus.
COUNTRY
MAXIMUM GRANT
ALLOCATIONS 2021-2024
ALLOCATIONS UNDER REACT-EU FOR 2021 PER MEMBER STATE
Belgium*
5,9 billion
260 million
Spain*
69,5 billion
10.898 million
Italy*
68,9 billion
11.348 million
*Countries involved in WISE4Challenges project
NextGenerationEU will also bring money to other European programmes or funds such as Horizon Europe, InvestEU, rural development or the Just Transition Fund (JTF).
Gender and sex have dominated not just the clinical aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also our response to it. From urgent and pressing issues such as domestic violence, to more structural and fundamental questions about the perceived value of different roles in society, it has become apparent that gender has been a crucial aspect of this global pandemic and the havoc it has caused.
However, every crisis has a silver lining, and the current situation offers an opportunity for change; change which must be well-grounded and well-carried out, too.
In January 2021, Parliament adopted a resolution on the gender perspective in the Covid-19 crisis and post-crisis period, addressing the harmful gendered and intersectional impacts of the pandemic and setting out recommendations for overcoming them. The resolution addresses infection risks, increased domestic and gender-based violence, barriers to sexual and reproductive health services, the increased burden of unpaid care work, women’s participation in the labour market and the gender impacts of the pandemic outside the EU. Parliament is clear that overcoming current and future challenges will require, ‘a gender-sensitive approach, with gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting principles reflected in all aspects of the response to Covid-19’. (Covid-19: The need for a gendered response, EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service – February2021)
This activity will be carried out transversally by S-Com AISBL, coordinator of the WISE4Challenges project. For any inquires, you can contact us at wise4all@scom.eu.
This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement COMM/SUBV/2020/E/0077. The content published on this website and related social media accounts, reflects only the author’s view. The Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
